Niki finally caught up to Selene after jogging down the stairs and reaching the main altar. It felt almost divine. From the moment he came closer, there was a feeling of pressure.


    The weight wrapped around his body while pushing down against him the closer she came to the huge, undting blue orb with a beautiful surface that looked like the ocean as it waxed and waned.


    ''What a beautiful sight!'' He couldn''t help but marvel at the cool sensation and fresh scent that came from the waves of magic.


    "Oh? It''s surprising that you are so amazed by the portal, Niki." Selene''s voice sounded from beside his ear, turning her smiling face with lips upturned and narrowed eyes like a cat grinning at him with delight. "So, do you like this ce?"


    "It''s quite beautiful, and the atmosphere is calming." Niki returned her smile with a childish grin before turning back to the portal because, under the surface, a strange image of various cityscapes and ces appeared like magic.


    [It''s still the same as before...]


    "I am d you like it, can you see the different words this portal links too?" Selene''s eyes almost seemed to sparkle as if she also enjoyed the Nexus. "Since you always carry that ne, how about we travel to the maind where the Jhin n are focused?"


    "Eh?"


    Niki felt shocked she mentioned his ne, but before he could reply she grasped his hand and dragged him towards the portal and called out strange words in anguage he didn''t understand.


    ''What?!''


    The next moment, he felt a sense of weightlessness as his body flew into the air, along with Selene, who grasped his hand tight. Niki tried to turn his neck, but once sucked into the beautiful blue orb of liquid, the force held him in ce as if two hands were forcing him to remain still.


    ''Damn! I can''t move... it''s like being caught by invisible arms! Ugh... why does my head hurt?''


    A throbbing sensation spread across his skull, and Niki started to feel sleepy until a soothing warmth wrapped around him.


    The soothing touch from the gentle hands wrapping around him reminded him of the tenderness his mother showed him when he was a child, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation for a while. He felt wrapped in a cool sensation for a moment before it became warm. This strange phenomenon happened for what seemed like an eternity before he suddenly felt himself falling.


    ''Urg... is the fall over yet...''


    He slowly opened his eyelids with a grimace, and a bright light assaulted his sensitive retinas.


    ''Ugh!''


    As the light faded, his eyes adjusted, and a strange new world unfolded around him. It wasn''t anything like the modern world of S-City or the ces his father sent images of... The buildings and roads were beautiful, but it felt like he stepped into a fantastical world, like a novel he might have read in high school.


    "Hmm... your face looks kind of cute right now, Niki." Selene stood several steps ahead, both hands on her cheeks and leaning forward towards him with a smile on her lips. Niki couldn''t help but feel her crimson eyes look like shimmering gemstones in the brilliant sun above them while people of various shapes and sizes walked through the streets and markets.


    "Wee, to Al''Qutar! The home of the artificial spirits!"


    Selene''s voice vanished because of the conversations and sounds echoing while Niki looked like a young child. He could see strange monsters with tentacles casting spells with each tendril, but they were using it to fix a pocket watch! ''Wow... it''s magical! Like that boy wizard who lived under the stairs...''


    "Oh, what is this?"


    Selene grabbed his hand and tugged him forward, making Niki''s head tilt to one side as he tried to get a better view.


    ''These clothes are strange, and they have beautiful materials, but the designs are simplistic.''


    Although it seemed like a simr style to the eastern kingdoms of Ind, Niki realised it was different. There were magical tools and culture only for these various races who had blue skin and beautiful tattoos all over their bodies and faces.


    "Beautiful... such a wonderful race!" Niki''s voice echoed as a group of beautiful Al''Qutar maidens with soft blue and pink skin passed him, turning with their rather beautiful faces confused for a moment before they blushed and rushed away... waving their tentacles at him from behind and whispering voices reaching his ears.


    "Oh my~ that human gentleman called us beautiful... how rare!"


    "Didn''t he smell a little like a vampire? Don''t they usually call us fish women?"


    "Fufu~ what a fine day, lets enjoy some fresh tea and hope we run into him again."


    It was strange. Humans that Niki knew would hate each other and fight because their skin looked slightly different. Yet here, there were people with two legs, four legs, one arm, one eye... all seeming to get along and thrive.


    "Do you really think those women are pretty?" Selene''s voice asked but in a low, rather serious tone.


    "Yeah, the intricate tattoo''s and their vibrant colours are beautiful just like Selene''s captivating eyes." Niki replied with a smile before she blinked and looked at him for a moment before her cheeks turned slightly pink, looking away and clearing her throat.


    "Ahem, well then, I''ll take you to the Jhin n and show you where you what kind of things to expect during your visit. Also, how about you use a fake name, since there is a chance to make enemies?"


    "What do you suggest?" Niki asked, brushing back his ck hair and gazing back at her with a smile.


    "Kai and you can call me, Lena."


    ''Kai and Lena... simple enough, I would be irritated if she asked me to just say my name backwards like a moron.''


    "Sure, I don''t mind, so, shall we go?" He asked with a smile, and Selene nodded before they walked down the road to find the Jhin n.


    "Okay, so this is a street full of weapon shops, trinket shops and some are actually spirit engineers." Selene pointed out various things to him and showed him the foods and vendors that were trustworthy.


    It seemed she visited this world many times, because she knew the vendors by name and held conversations with them. "Ah, don''t worry, the Nexus trantes all words and writing into amonnguage for everyone while here. That''s why it feels strange when you teleport."


    ''This is amazing!''


    He watched the shop owners create various objects that could manipte nature, the sky or the wind itself, which blew hot and cold at will.


    ''Such a diverse world. My father would love it...''


    [He did. Your mother and he used to spend many an evening hiding from prying eyes in the Nexus worlds. Fufu~ he was just like you at first when she brought him.]


    Niki felt a little awkward because Eliza still pretended she wasn''t his mother; despite him asking, she would not give him a solid answer. Even though he could use his Celestial Aura and Vermillion Essence to keep her here longer, the effect was like a candle wick rapidly being burned at both ends.


    ''I see... Hmm?''


    "Hey, Lena, what is that person doing with that bracelet?" Niki asked. He noticed a female join using her tentacles to cast a strange art on the amulet, but he could feel a familiar sensation using his blood aura to examine it.


    "Oh, that''s one of the Jhin n''s speciality artificial spirits, spirits that are bound to objects and have their minds. Normally, to protect their master or attack enemies, it''s kind of like a magical AI that can also speak to the contracted person."


    ''It''s like what I have with Eliza...?''


    [Oh?]


    "Do you mind if I speak to her, Lena?" Niki asked politely before Selene''s face widened, and she nodded before replying,


    "Well, if you want to, then sure, but don''t forget, the Nexus is a very dangerous ce outside of the city. I''ll introduce you to her, but try to be polite okay?" She gave him a cute wink before they approached the female spirit engineer.


    "Hello, Mistress Zara, it''s been a while!" Selene called out.


    "If it isn''t Princess Lena, you''re back in Al''Qutar, oh? Who is this handsome devil?" The beautiful Jhin, with pink skin and lovely designs across her body, waved at him with her tendrils. Selene shook her tendril instead of her normal hand, so Niki did the same when she reached out with a smile on his face.


    "It is my pleasure, Madame Zara. I am Kai, Lena''s partner."


    "Fufu~ I can feel an aura of ancient energying from your ne, Young Master Kai. May I take a quick look? It seems to have been created using a rather interesting method." Zara''s voice sounded like a gentle song as it soothed his ears.


    "I am a Spirit Engineer, so please allow me to examine my curiosity~ I will make sure it''s worth it!"


    ''Hmmm, is it fine Eliza?''


    [Yes, I believe it should be okay... see you in a moment!]


    Niki nodded and took off his ne, but he could see Selene''s eyes flicker—she then looked at Niki with a strange look of sorrow—rather, it was strange that the moment he took it off, he could sense a presence within the ne.


    Yet when he wore it, there seemed to be a wall that protected her from being sensed. ''Is that my power? Or is it mothers?''


    "It''s fine, Lena." He said with a smile before handing it over to Zara and as she held the sapphire pendant, her eyes shone like stars.


    "Oh my~ this pendant was created with so much care, affection and love... I cannot let it waste away in this state!" Her eyes flicked to Niki before she dangled the pendant before him.


    "Please, would you allow me to examine it further and try to fix the small cracks? This seems to be a genuine spirit rather than something artificial! Rather... it seems my father was the one that made it! Hahahaha!"


    "!!!"


    "...." Selene looked at the pendant and then at Niki and seemed to realise something. Her eyes looked softer than usual as she watched various magical squares begin to form at the tips of Zara''s tendrils that enveloped the ne.


    Niki didn''t say a word because he could only feel his chest racing, the feeling of her being away from him and the thought of it being repairable, causing his head to spin.


    However, he focused on the skills of the Jhin because his mind began to wonder if his Evil God blood could learn this skill if he drank enough Jhin blood.


    ''Can I repair it myself if I learn more skills? No... I must use this evil blood of mine more since I can learn the Tepes blood arts from drinking from Anya and Selene. I can definitely learn the Jhin n''s magic!''


    He began to feel a new goal, something that he never thought of before... Niki peeked at Selene''s face and couldn''t help but want to reward her with anything she asked.


    A heavy weight seemed to have faded from his chest, and the feeling of his mother vanishing began to fade the more the cracks of the gemstone faded.


    "Phew... it seems that I can repair it and with regr visits to the nexus you can definitely keep the spirit''s soul safe from danger!" Madame Zara''s words caused Niki''s eyes to tremble—it felt like a sudden dream as she held out the sparkling ne.


    ''Mother... won''t vanish again?''